Description

Limited edition PROMO only CD

KATMANDU: S/T [Very good Hard Rock album that was described as “the rock phenomenon of the year”, but still that went largely unnoticed. Featuring the fantastic vocals of the first Fastway singer, Dave King and the brilliant guitar playing of the ex- Krokus guitarist. On the bass Caine Curruthers (Ex Untouchables) and on theDrums Mike Alonso (Ex Meanies).

Limited edition PROMO only CD

Year: 1991 Label: Epic
Dave King vocals
Mandy Meyer guitar
Mike Alonso drums
Caine Carruthers bass

Tracks
1. The Way You Make Me Feel
2. God Part II U2 cover (from their 1988 album Rattle and Hum)
3. Love Hurts
4. Sometimes Again
5. When the Rain Comes Down
6. Heart and Soul
7. Ready for the Common Man
8. Only the Good Die Young
9. Let the Hearteache Begin
10. Medicine Man
11. Pull Together
12. Warzone

Profile: After singer Dave King had left the band Fastway, he got a call from David Geffen and John Kalodner in 1990 to come to America to found a new supergroup. With guitarist Mandy Meyer (Krokus, Cobra, Asia), bassist Cain Carruthers (The Untouchables) and drummer Mike Alonso (The Meanis) formed the band Katmandu, and quickly the band came to the studio to start recorded. 

The album was produced by John Purdell and was released in 1991 on Sony Music. The album consist of twelve songs well performed had a couple of minor hits. Two singles were released.  “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “When The Rain Comes”. Because of the anticipated global success of Katmandu with minor success only in Japan the band dissolved later in 1992. Singer Dave King went to the band Flogging Molly and guitarist Mandy Meyer was a member of  Gotthard.

 

If you’re a Fastway Fan, get this cd!!! Dave king is like a Male version of Janis Joplin!! He belts out vocals that you wouldn’t think a little guy like him had.

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Dave King: Fastway All Fired Up
Dave King: Fastway Say What You Will – Live
Dave King: Fastway Steal The Show
Dave King: Fastway The Collection
Dave King: Fastway Waiting for the Roar
Dave King: Lita Ford Black
Dave King: Katmandu Katmandu
Dave King: Soundtracks Trick or Treat
Dave King: Johnny Strader Johnny Strader
Dave King: White Widow Turn it Up

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Mandy Meyer Ashton Modern Pilgrims
Mandy Meyer Asia Anthologia: The 20th Anniversary / Geffen Years Collection 1982-90
Mandy Meyer Asia Astra
Mandy Meyer Asia Aurora
Mandy Meyer Asia The Definitive Collection
Mandy Meyer Asia The Very Best Of Asia: Heat Of The Moment (1982-1990)
Mandy Meyer Asia Then and Now
Mandy Meyer Beggar’s Jam Feat. Mr. Casablanca
Mandy Meyer Cobra First Strike
Mandy Meyer Gotthard D-Frosted
Mandy Meyer Gotthard Homerun
Mandy Meyer Gotthard Human Zoo
Mandy Meyer Gotthard One Life, One Soul (Best Of Ballads)
Mandy Meyer Gotthard One Team One Spirit
Mandy Meyer Gotthard Open
Mandy Meyer Katmandu Katmandu
Mandy Meyer Krokus Big Rocks
Mandy Meyer Krokus Dirty Dynamite
Mandy Meyer Krokus Hellraiser
Mandy Meyer Krokus Long Stick Goes Boom
Mandy Meyer Place Vendome Close to The Sun
Mandy Meyer Stealin Horses Stealin Horses
Mandy Meyer Unisonic Ignition
Mandy Meyer Unisonic Light of Dawn
Mandy Meyer Unisonic Live in Wacken
Mandy Meyer Unisonic Unisonic
Mandy Meyer Wolfpakk Cry Wolf

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SAMPLES:  www.amazon.com/Katmandu/dp/B002BN0AWM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319979886&…

5.0 out of 5 stars
I liked this album. It has Dave King (Fastway) of course for vocals. A little different from Fastway but still a hard rock album. Not bad, I would recommend for any fastway or hard rock/metal fans.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Old Dave King was great !,
I like so much Fastway and Katmandu.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Album,
This is the only album recorded by KATMANDU, a rare album. I like the unique vocal of David King, he is a great singer. If you like FASTWAY you’ll love this album, a nice choice.

5.0 out of 5 stars
Sole album by, apparently a very short-lived heavy rock & roll band that featured former Fastway vocalist /frontman Dave King. Never did hear ANYTHING about Katmandu about a year after the release of this disc. On tracks like “The Way You Make Me Feel”,”When The Rain Comes” and “Warzone” one can certainly hear Kings most recognizable vocals. Make no mistake about that. A worthy forgotten early ’90s metal title to check out when you can.

5.0 out of 5 stars FASTWAYS DAVE KING,
Look out people this little side project of Dave Kings is one heavy rocking cd. The vocalist is Dave King and he was one of the best at the time. The musicans who came together to do this baby were just meant to be there. This is one of those sessions that just got blessed with some great jams. It reminds me of some of the late seventies music where musicians put together albums with all their heart and soul giving birth to something incredibly special that would stand the test of time and this one does. Im glad to have it in my collection. The price is high.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected,
I was expecting just another hair metal band when I picked this up.
Though there is the typical hair metal snare drum sound throughout, the songs are not the monotonous anthems and ballads I would have expected. The music is really good, the songs varied, and the musicianship outstanding. Though the vocalist touches on the hair metal high-pitched shrieks typical of the genre, he never stays with that and pulls off some decent vocals.
The songs are varied and quite strong. Lets just say it has some memorable music, which is a lot more than I can say for many of the other bands I’ve reviewed lately.

Highly recommended.

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Parmi les groupes originaires d’Irlande qui ont laissés une trace discographique, même toute petite, dans l’histoire du Hard Rock, on peut citer KATMANDU. Ce quartette, formé par le chanteur de FASTWAY Dave King, avait eu la chance d’être chez Sony/Epic et a effectué ses premiers pas discographiques en 1991 avec la sortie d’un album éponyme. A l’époque, le nom du groupe (vu les origines de celui-ci) en a peut-être fait sourire plus d’un vu que KATMANDU est la capitale du Nepal.

Mais je ne suis pas là pour donner un cours de géographie, alors revenons un peu sur ce fameux album de KATMANDU. Celui-ci est orienté Hard Rock et propose 12 titres, dont une reprise de U2 (mais on y reviendra). Alors, concrètement, qu’y a-t-il d’intéressant à raconter sur cet opus ?

Le premier titre de l’album « The Way You Make Me Feel » est un mid-tempo tendant vers le Hard Rock groovy et puissant et KATMANDU a su se montrer convaincant. « Love Hurts » alterne couplets mélodiques et refrain plus foncièrement Heavy, plus puissant et se voit particulièrement valorisé par des riffs vraiment excellents, ainsi qu’un superbe refrain. Avec « When The Rain Comes », KATMANDU touche au sublime: ce mid-tempo commence tout doucement puis, lorsque les grosses guitares font leur apparition, bascule dans un Hard Rock teinté 70’s particulièrement épique, haletant et le bassiste Caine Carruthers s’en donne à coeur joie pour donner de l’impulsion à cette compo. Il s’agit peut-être du titre de l’album le plus marquant… Avec « Ready For The Common Man », on est également dans le Hard Rock de haute volée, de grande envergure et ce titre est tellement bon qu’il donne envie de taper du pied (quel refrain mortel !!). « Only The Good Die Young » est un titre plutôt commun, assez conventionnel pour un groupe de Hard Rock. « Medicine Man » débute calmement avec des guitares acoustiques, puis durcit le ton à partir du refrain, calme à nouveau le jeu, puis le ton se durcit à nouveau jusqu’à la fin. Avec « Pull Together », KATMANDU gratifie son monde d’un morceau Hard Rock groovy, swinguant et hyper-accrocheur qui a le potentiel d’un mega-hit (écoutez un peu ces lignes de basse !). Quand à l’énergique et entraînant « Warzone », il n’est pas mal non plus et ne laisse pas indifférent tant sa rythmique est soutenue, virevoltante, parfois syncopée.

Dans un autre registre, la reprise de U2 « God Part II » est plutôt convaincate, tandis que les ballades valent le détour. La ballade acoustique et planante « Heart & Soul », bien que directe, est une belle trouvaille que n’aurait sans doute pas renié le grand LED ZEPPELIN. « Let The Heartache Begin » a des mélodies qui prennent aux tripes. Par contre, l’autre ballade « Sometime Again » est moins intéressante et son final intense et puissant la sauve même de l’ennui, voire de la médiocrité.

Cet unique album de ce quartette fut assurément une bonne surprise pour ceux qui ont pu mettre la main dessus à l’époque (et même après) car les compos sont vraiment de qualité, très inspirées. Le chanteur Dave King est irréprochable sur le plan vocal et les musiciens font montre d’un savoir-faire évident. Il est même incompréhensible que KATMANDU n’ait pas eu de reconnaissance à l’époque car ce groupe était doté d’un potentiel et d’une personnalité qui auraient pu le faire monter haut…

Limited edition PROMO only CD

Hard Rock 12 titles, including a U2 cover.

The first title of the album “The Way You Make Me Feel” is a mid-tempo tending towards the groovy and powerful Hard Rock and KATMANDU was able to be convincing. “Love Hurts” alternates melodic couplets and chorus more fundamentally Heavy, more powerful and is particularly valued by riffs really excellent, as well as a superb chorus. With “When The Rain Comes”, KATMANDU touches the sublime: this mid-tempo starts slowly then, when the big guitars make their appearance, rocking in a 70’s Tinged Hard Rock particularly epic, panting and the bassist Caine Carruthers gives it to heart to give impetus to this compo. This is perhaps the title of the most memorable album … With “Ready For The Common Man”, we are also in the high-flying Hard Rock, and this title is so good that it gives want to stomp (what a deadly chorus!). “Only The Good Die Young” is a rather common title, quite conventional for a group of Hard Rock. “Medicine Man” starts quietly with acoustic guitars, then hardens the tone from the chorus, calms the game again, then the tone hardens again until the end. With “Pull Together”, KATMANDU gratifies his world with a groovy, swinging and hyper-catchy Hard Rock track that has the potential of a mega-hit (listen to these bass lines a bit!). When the energetic and training “Warzone”, it is not bad either and does not leave indifferent as its rhythm is sustained, twirling, sometimes syncopated.

In another register, the U2 “God Part II” cover is rather convincing, while the ballads are worth the detour. The acoustic and planing ballad “Heart & Soul”, although direct, is a beautiful find that would probably not have denied the big LED ZEPPELIN. “Let The Heartache Begin” has gutsy melodies. By cons, the other ballad “Sometime Again” is less interesting and its intense and powerful final saves even boredom, or even mediocrity.

This single album of this quartet was certainly a good surprise for those who were able to get their hands on at the time (and even after) because the compositions are really quality, very inspired. The singer Dave King is flawless on the vocal level and the musicians show an obvious know-how. It is even incomprehensible that KATMANDU had no recognition at the time because this group had a potential and a personality that could have made it rise high …